Salt River Project starts 6th project to bring electricity to remote parts of Navajo reservation

The Salt River Project embarked on its sixth annual Light Up Navajo trip near the community of Leupp, east of Flagstaff, where they are planning to install powerlines in remote areas without power alongside 44 other utility companies.

The project is a collaborative effort between SRP, the American Public Power Association and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.

Around a quarter of homes in the Navajo Nation do not have electricity, according to SRP.

Thomas Gerbig, a journeyman lineman for SRP, said it will take a lot of manpower to run several miles of electrical line for one home, but it’s worth the work.

“I couldn’t imagine doing everyday tasks with no power,” Gerbig said. “I mean, that would be pretty hard. They’re pretty remote, so they don’t have very easy to begin with. So I’m pretty excited to go up there and bring those guys some power.”

In 2024, SRP installed nearly 82,000 feet of electrical line for 17 homes.

Mark Sienicki, an SRP foreman, says his crew believes in the mission to “make their lives better.”

“I want to see them turn that light on, and when they turn that light on, I am done,” Sienecki said. “I have completed my task, and they’re usually smiling or happy or, you know, and you know, you change someone’s life at that point.”